Random Topps Card of the Day: 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH17 Jason Ellison

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Wednesday, July 21, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH17.
• Player Name, position, team: Jason Ellison, outfielder, Seattle Mariners.
• Major League Debut: May 9, 2003.
• Last Line of Statistics: 2006 stats (Giants): 84 G, 81 AB, 14 R, 18 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 5 BB, 14 SO, .383 SLG, .656 OPS, .222 AVG.
• Any special information about players: Drafted by the Giants #22nd, June 2000. Traded by the Giants to the Mariners 04/01/2007. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Ellison's first (and presently, only) regular Topps (total includes regular and traded cards only). The 2007 Topps set was the first to feature an all black border since the famous 1971. And just like it's 36-year-old sibling, the borders can easily chip, and any corner flaws, edging marks, and on and on, can be easily seen on the cards, so please be careful when handling. As mentioned in the first sentence of this description, this is Ellison's only Topps card, and it's a Traded/Update/End of the Year card at that. Apparently playing in 131 games as a Giant wasn't enough to even earn him cardboard love in the 2006 Topps set. However, Topps was nice enough to include him in the Giants team baseball card giveaway set (sponsored by Emerald...and I still want the 2008, and 2009 versions of this set). The back of the card states that the Mariners traded for Ellison just as the season started, and used him as a spare outfielder/pinch hitter. He didn't start a game until the middle of May. The big highlight for Ellison, in Topps' opinion, was a game against the Athletics on July 8, in which he went 4-4 with a stolen base and a run scored. However, his run as a Mariner was short lived, as he was claimed on the waiver wire by the Cincinnati Reds. Which leads me to question if Topps couldn't get a picture of him with the Reds in time for the end of the year set? While I'm sure M's fans weren't complaining (hey, we got another guy in the set), I'm sure people were wondering why a guy who didn't even finish with the team that year, is being pictured as such. I'm sure there are other examples of this...but I can't think of any at the moment. Ellison was last seen in the majors in 2008, playing for the Texas Rangers for a nine-game stretch. In 2009, he played in the Phillies' minor league system, with the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs (gotta love that name).
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.12-$0.30.
• How many cards of each player do I own?: 2 cards.

Tomorrow's card will be: Thursday: 1984 Topps Traded#76T. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Hope you will be too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama